Notes

Technology has improved life for many Americans, and nearly half of this
country’s adults say they can’t imagine life without their smartphones.1
At the same time, numerous studies have described consequences of
technology use, including negative impacts on physical and mental
health.2,3
For the past decade, the American Psychological Association’s Stress in
America™ survey has examined how stress affects American adults’ health
and well-being. This year’s survey took a deeper look at technology and
social media to better understand their link to stress, relationships and
overall health and well-being.
The survey showed, nearly all adults (99 percent) own at least one
electronic device (including a television). Almost nine in 10 (86 percent)
own a computer, 74 percent own an internet-connected smartphone and
55 percent own a tablet.
Research also shows that the percentage of American adults using social
media increased from 7 percent to 65 percent between 2005 and 2015.
Among young adults ages 18 to 29, the number is even higher — nine
in 10 (90 percent) reported using social media in 2015, compared to 12
percent in 2005.4
Adoption rates among all groups of new and emerging
technologies and social media have climbed to enormous proportions,
with Facebook and Instagram boasting more than 2 billion combined
monthly users.
More than a decade after the emergence of smartphones, Facebook
and Twitter, a profile is emerging of the “constant checker.” Such avid
technology and social media use has paved the way for the “constant
checker” — those who constantly check their emails, texts or social
media accounts (43 percent of Americans). This attachment to devices
and the constant use of technology is associated with higher stress levels
for these Americans. Generally, nearly one-fifth of Americans (18 percent)
identify the use of technology as a very or somewhat significant source
of stress. The most stressful aspect? Americans say technology causes the
most stress when it doesn’t work (20 percent).
Survey findings suggest that more than eight in 10 Americans are attached
to their gadgets on a typical day (86 percent say they constantly or often
check their emails, texts and social media accounts).
On a typical day (or day off from work for those who are employed), 65
percent of American adults say they often or constantly check personal
email, 52 percent and 44 percent say the same about texts and social
media, respectively, and 28 percent (of those employed) report the same
about their work email. For some, constant checking itself can be a stressful
act. Constant checkers are more likely to say that constantly checking
devices is a stressful aspect of technology, compared to non-constant
checkers (29 percent vs. 24 percent, respectively). For employed Americans
who check their work email constantly on non-work days, this jumps to
41 percent.
Social media also negatively affects a greater proportion of constant
checkers than non-constant checkers. More than two in five constant
checkers (42 percent) say that political and cultural discussions on social
media cause them stress, compared to 33 percent of non-constant
checkers. Additionally, 42 percent say they worry about negative effects of
social media on their physical and mental health (compared to 27 percent
of non-constant checkers).
Constant checkers express feeling disconnected from their family, even
when they are together, as a result of technology (44 percent of constant
checkers versus 25 percent of non-constant checkers). In addition to
feeling disconnected, more than one-third (35 percent) of constant
checkers report being less likely to meet with family and friends in person
because of social media. In comparison, half as many (15 percent) nonconstant
checkers report the same.
Many Americans (65 percent) somewhat or strongly agree that periodically
“unplugging” or taking a “digital detox” is important for their mental health.
However, only 28 percent of those agree about the important of a detox
actually report doing so.
Other commonly reported strategies used by Americans to manage their
technology usage include not allowing cell phones at the dinner table (28
percent) and turning off notifications for social media apps (19 percent).
Additionally, almost half of Millennials (45 percent) report that because
of technology, even when their family is together they feel disconnected
from them. Thirty-eight percent of Gen Xers, 23 percent of Boomers and
16 percent of Matures say the same. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Millennials are
more likely to report that technology is a source of conflict in their home
(38 percent, compared to 27 percent for Gen Xers, 12 percent for Boomers
and 4 percent for Matures).
Findings show that 72 percent of parents somewhat or strongly agree
that they model a healthy relationship with technology for their children.
However, they may struggle to maintain balance, with nearly six in 10 (58
percent) parents reporting that they feel like they are attached to their phone or tablet. More than one-third of employed parents (35 percent) say they check work email often or constantly on nonwork
days. On days off, the vast majority of parents also often or constantly check personal email (67 percent), text messages
(69 percent) and social media (57 percent).
The struggle with technology usage extends to their children as well. While 94 percent of parents say that they take at least
one action to manage their child’s technology usage during the school year, such as not allowing cell phones at the dinner
table (32 percent) or limiting screen time before bed (32 percent), almost half (48 percent) say that regulating their child’s
screen time is a constant battle, and more than half of parents (58 percent) report feeling like their child is attached to their
phone or tablet.
Additionally, almost half of parents (45 percent) also say that they feel disconnected from their families even when they are
together, because of technology. More than half of parents (58 percent) say that they worry about the influence of social
media on their child’s physical and mental health.
The teen years are taxing for almost everyone, but perhaps especially for teen girls. According to a recent study in Pediatrics7
,
in the U.S. more teen girls than boys may be experiencing major depressive episodes. Research also shows teen girls were
more likely to use social media to communicate8
, which could expose them to the negative effects of this medium. A Youth
Risk Behavior Surveillance from the CDC9
found that white teens and teen girls were more likely to say they were bullied both
on school property and online.
Almost eight in 10 (79 percent) parents say their teens (ages 13-17) use social media. However, parents of teen girls are
significantly more likely to report that they worry about the influence of social media on their child’s physical and mental
health (69 percent, compared to 39 percent of parents of teen boys).